When World Cup tickets went on sale months ago, the pricing structure was described as outrageous, and was met with a furious response. It has only gotten more expensive since. @henrybushnell.bsky.social describes how dynamic pricing has driven huge increases in ticket costs ⤵️

An analysis of 2026 World Cup ticket costs — AKA my gigantic spreadsheet, compiled via screenshots & info from fans over the past 6 months — reveals the full impact of FIFA's dynamic pricing so far. On average, Cat 1 prices up $201 since initial release. Free to read @theathletic.com:

A Category 1 ticket to the 2026 World Cup final now costs $10,990. FIFA has raised prices for dozens of matches, yet again, as the last sales phase begins. Story + details @theathletic.com:

We @theathletic.com have live coverage of USMNT-Portugal, including lineup analysis, right here: nytimes.com/athletic/liv... It's a fascinating starting 11, likely with Pulisic at striker — something that Pochettino hinted at yesterday.

The USMNT's World Cup Group: 🇹🇷 Turkey 🇦🇺 Australia 🇵🇾 Paraguay It's winnable. It's also losable. It's by far the most balanced group at the 2026 tournament.

Mauricio Pochettino watched Colombia-France and came away impressed by the intensity. I saw the Dempsey documentary and thought about the intensity that made him special. That intensity is a mandate for this (and any) #USMNT. www.nytimes.com/athletic/715...

10 years ago, football did not recognise Kosovo. Tonight, they can qualify for the World Cup. A decade of challenges & resistance could bring "the most important day since independence". The symbolism goes beyond the pitch. Free to read @theathleticfc.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/715...

FIFA's newly mandatory "hydration breaks," implemented for the first time this month, have split opinion. They "annoyed" USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino. But they've been valuable as "tactical breaks." "The game will change completely," Roberto Martinez said.

How, and why, did the USMNT unravel vs. Belgium? Lots of reasons, but one underlying factor: Poch went back to a formation that worked well in possession but left the U.S. exposed in transition — especially against the best player on the field:

A decade ago, on March 29, 2016, a skinny teenager from Hershey, Pa., stepped onto a field in Columbus for his #USMNT debut. 10 moments from 10 years of Christian Pulisic. "He pushes us to be great," Tim Weah said. www.nytimes.com/athletic/714...

🎯 from @paultenorio.bsky.social:

“You put so much into it to get to that point." "Proving yourself each and every day is extremely important.” "You want to get on the team. So that was always in the back of your head.” On the pressure & intensity of March camp before a World Cup cut. www.nytimes.com/athletic/714...

I sat down with Gio Reyna at USMNT camp in Atlanta. Was struck by his optimism and gratitude — bit different from 2022. We also talked about his latest injury (a reoccurring one), his dog (whom he wanted to name "Messi"), and more. Feature @theathletic.com:

📍Atlanta Big, and busy, USMNT week. All 27 players here, healthy and training. (video ft. Weston giving Joe Scally some shit during rondos)

NEW @TheAthleticFC Fans from several countries participating in the World Cup must deposit up to $15,000 in bond payments to receive a tourist visa to enter the USA, while FIFA is *still* pressing Trump administration for exemptions for players. www.nytimes.com/athletic/713...

FIFA is forcing NFL stadiums to scrub all sponsor logos/branding for the World Cup — even on their roofs. But one roof proved so complex that it got an exemption. Story @theathletic.com:

Mauricio Pochettino spent much of 2025 disassembling and re-assembling the USMNT. The roster he announced yesterday, and that will convene next week in Atlanta to open 2026? It is, more or less, his re-assembled USMNT core.

Some USMNT players hated their 2022 World Cup kits — so much so that they held up a photoshoot in protest. “That,” Tyler Adams says, “started the conversation: next time around, let's have a say.” This is the story behind the 2026 kits, which players helped design, @theathletic.com:

USMNT players weren’t thrilled with their 2022 World Cup kits. Their reaction spurred change. It led U.S. Soccer and Nike to a new design process, with players involved at three distinct stages. And it led to the USMNT’s 2026 World Cup kits 📝 @henrybushnell.bsky.social bit.ly/47LY5ro

News: 69 U.S. Congresspeople have signed and sent a letter to FIFA expressing "great concern" re: World Cup ticket prices and the financial burdens on host cities. "Everyone is pissed," Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) tells @theathletic.com. More:

📍Baltimore, for D.C. United-Inter Miami Let’s play a game of “Where's Waldo” for D.C. United gear at this D.C. United “home” game…

FIFA will allow TV networks to cut to commercial breaks during the "hydration breaks" that will split up every half at the 2026 World Cup, sources tell @theathletic.com. More on the rules and context: www.nytimes.com/athletic/708...

100 days til the World Cup. Massive effort from 100+ folks across @theathletic.com and @theathleticfc.bsky.social to set the stage for a massive (and massively complex) event. Go dive in! ❓ www.nytimes.com/athletic/705... ⚽ www.nytimes.com/athletic/708... 🏙️ www.nytimes.com/athletic/708...

When Messi and Son came to MLS, they brought their many social media followers with them. Meet the player you (might not) have heard of who boosted the Chicago Fire's social media following by more than half a million people. The Mbokazi Effect. www.nytimes.com/athletic/707...

A week after Gianni Infantino claimed that “every” 2026 World Cup match is “already sold out,” FIFA... launched an unexpected sale of 2026 World Cup tickets. At least 64 of the 104 matches were available, according to fans who sent information and screenshots to @theathletic.com. 🤔 The takeaways:

101 days before the World Cup, a host nation is bombing a participant. An unprecedented situation that is, of course, way larger than sport, with implications that aren't yet clear. That said, if Iran can't or won't play... Explainer @theathleticfc.bsky.social:

The World Cup has been dragged into a U.S. government funding fight. @theathletic.com:

The latest 2026 World Cup ticket saga: emails with missing details, an unexpected "exclusive" sales window, lots of questions and confusion. More @theathleticfc.bsky.social:

Argentina. England. Netherlands. All base-camping in… Kansas City? This is the story of how the 2026 World Cup’s smallest host city wooed its giants — ft. BBQ, Topgolf, “red carpets,” and a battle for facilities that sent England scrambling: www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...

Ahead of this summer's World Cup, FIFA has consistently claimed that the tournament is "for everyone." But as @melanieanzidei.bsky.social writes from personal experience, immigrant communities across the United States are increasingly feeling shut out of soccer's biggest show.

With Tudor in place as interim manager, confirms what I reported yesterday that sources around U.S. Soccer weren't concerned with Poch leaving. Might he take the Spurs job in the summer? Yes. But the focus now has to be squarely on the World Cup. www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...

ICE won't rule out immigration enforcement around the 2026 World Cup. So, a security role that's relatively standard has stoked concerns that aren't going away. @theathletic.com, an explainer on ICE and the World Cup: www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...

FIFA is selling parking at LA's World Cup games, more than a mile from SoFi Stadium, for $250-$300. The latest on this World Cup's exorbitant price tag, @theathleticfc.bsky.social:

There's lots of noise, understandably, about a 2026 World Cup boycott. Let's cut through the noise, dissect what a boycott would actually entail and why, at this stage, it's extremely unlikely. @theathleticfc.bsky.social:

Some U.S. Soccer news: USSF president Cindy Parlow Cone is running unopposed for re-election. She'll win another four-year term next month, and serve until (at least) 2030.

Videos verified by The New York Times show Alex Jeffrey Pretti, the man federal agents shot and killed in Minneapolis on Saturday, was holding a phone, not a gun, when the agents took him to the ground and shot him. In total, at least 10 shots appear to have been fired within five seconds.

Ex-MLS coach Adrian Heath thought the job interview might lead to the next part of the world football would take him. Instead, it turned into a nightmare. “I started thinking about all the good stuff about my life,” he said. “My wife. My children. My grandkids.” www.nytimes.com/athletic/698...

News: U.S. Soccer has finalized the allocation/lottery process for its USMNT World Cup tickets. Three distinct, weighted random draws, with all the $60 tickets going to members of supporters groups — but with "a huge catch." Details:

The furor over 2026 World Cup ticket prices raised a fascinating question: How did sports tickets get so expensive in the United States — all while remaining relatively modest in the UK, Europe & elsewhere? Spoke to economists, sports execs, etc. for answers @theathletic.com:

New @theathleticfc.bsky.social New travel bans by Trump administration threaten to exclude fans of Senegal and Ivory Coast from World Cup next summer, with each team having two games in the U.S. Up to four qualified nations impacted now along with Haiti & Iran. www.nytimes.com/athletic/689...

News: FIFA, amid backlash to World Cup ticket prices, has carved out ~1,000 tickets per game to sell for $60 to supporters. More details and context @theathleticfc.bsky.social:

“Going to the World Cup” used to be something normal people did. Not with these ticket prices. @theathleticfc.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/688...

FIFA has hiked World Cup ticket prices yet again. It's now... 💵 $700 for some standard group stage tickets 💵 $140 *at minimum* — no more Category 4 💵 $8,680 for a Category 1 ticket to the final @theathleticfc.bsky.social has published a full list of prices here:

FIFA’s pricing for the tickets available to supporters of teams at the World Cup has been criticised by the leading European soccer fans’ group. Full story from @mjslater.bsky.social ⬇️ 🔗 www.nytimes.com/athletic/688...

NEW: Hotels across US, Canada & Mexico hiked prices during the FIFA World Cup in 2026, with an analysis by The Athletic revealing average increase of over 300 per cent per night around opening matches in the 16 host cities. Report: nytimes.com/athletic/68757…

News: Every 2026 World Cup match will feature two "hydration breaks," no matter the weather. Each half will pause for exactly three minutes midway through. It's a player welfare measure. It also has sporting & commercial implications. More @theathleticfc.bsky.social:

Inside the making of the 2026 World Cup schedule, the most complex ever... ⚽ a years-long process, then a 12-hour sprint in the Kennedy Center's River Pavilion ⚽ simulations, weather data, countless variables It all came together in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Here's how:

Lionel Messi's MLS Cup ended one era at Inter Miami and ushered in a new future for the club, which will open its new stadium with a star above its crest. Can it also will MLS into a new future? As Jorge Mas told me on the field after the win: "It ain't over." www.nytimes.com/athletic/686...

Lionel Messi's win yesterday cemented his on-field legacy in MLS. He's delivered on nearly every level from the sporting and commercial side. But my book, The Messi Effect, dives deeper into what his lasting legacy will be in American soccer. Preorder it now! read.macmillan.com/lp/the-messi...

Hello from the Capital Hilton in DC, site of the 2026 World Cup schedule reveal. Yesterday was what teams and the world were waiting for. Today is what host cities and early ticket buyers are waiting for. Follow along here starting at noon ET: www.nytimes.com/athletic/liv...